NEW YORK, NY.-Skates LLC, the worlds leading art investment research firm, has introduced three new resources to assist art market collectors in improving the economics and reducing the risks of their art trades.

These new toolsSkates Artwork Background Report, Art Asset Pricing Service and the Platinum premium membership  further establish Skates role as a full-service provider of independent art market data and research for investors.

Artwork Background Reports provide Skates clients with a quick vetting solution for both private and auction market transactions. Each report offers a thorough assessment of an individual artwork, with a focus on market valuation and investment potential. In addition to a suggested valuation, risk rating and investment summary, each report also includes such critical information as a catalogue raisonné summary, list of known thefts and forgeries of the artist, provenance, and a discussion of relevant works within the artists peer group, as well as a full market overview and analysis. Skates Artwork Background Reports are an excellent aide in assessing risk before entering a transaction in the art market. They are provided discretely and provide clients the context they need to negotiate the terms of an artwork transaction.

Art Asset Pricing Reports are tailored for collectors developing private museum plans, considering art loans, reviewing the efficiency of art ownership costs, preparing wills or appraising inheritances. They are an unbiased, efficient and private resource unmatched by any other firm.

Skates new Platinum membership program offers subscribers access to Skates full range of servicesthe most complete package of independent, third-party research available in the art market. Key benefits include:

In addition to individual memberships, Skates also offers special institutional and academic membership programs.

These three new offerings further augment Skates range of resources for art market investors. In addition to its core products which include Skates Art Investment Handbook and the Skates Top 1000 (a ranking of the worlds most valuable masterpieces based on auction prices), Skates recently began weekly publication of Skate's Market Notes. Skate's Market Notes are brief articles that focus on either a particular company from Skate's Art Stocks Index or a unique sale taking place on the auction or private market. Skate's Market Notes keep investors informed of the most important events of the last week in the art market. They are distributed free to Skates members. The archive can be accessed at www.skatepress.com.